

Dr. Helaleh Khoshbakht is a highly respected radiation oncologist in Tehran with extensive expertise in treating various cancers, including breast, […]
Targeted therapy represents a revolutionary shift in cancer treatment by:
✔️ Focusing on specific molecular/genetic cancer drivers
✔️ Minimizing damage to healthy cells (unlike chemotherapy)
✔️ Offering personalized treatment based on tumor biomarkers
✔️ Often causing fewer and less severe side effects
Blocking Growth Signals
Inhibits receptors like EGFR, HER2 that promote cancer growth
Preventing Angiogenesis
Drugs like bevacizumab stop tumor blood vessel formation
Promoting Cell Death
Triggers apoptosis in cancer cells
Disabling DNA Repair
PARP inhibitors exploit BRCA mutations (synthetic lethality)
HER2 (breast/gastric cancers)
BRAF V600E (melanoma)
ALK/ROS1 (lung cancer)
CDK4/6 (hormone receptor+ breast cancer)
Oral medications (e.g., imatinib for CML)
Target proteins inside cancer cells
IV/injected biologics (e.g., trastuzumab for HER2+ cancer)
Bind to surface antigens
PARP inhibitors (olaparib)
Angiogenesis inhibitors (lenvatinib)
Immunoconjugates (antibody-drug combinations)
Essential biomarker tests include:
Next-generation sequencing (NGS)
Immunohistochemistry (IHC)
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
PD-L1 testing for immunotherapy combinations
✅ Higher response rates in biomarker-selected patients
✅ Often better tolerated than chemotherapy
✅ Can overcome treatment resistance when combined
✅ Enables maintenance therapy approaches
⚠️ Only works for cancers with actionable targets
⚠️ Can develop resistance over time
⚠️ Some targeted drugs have unique side effects
⚠️ High costs and accessibility issues
Modern oncology increasingly uses:
Targeted therapy + immunotherapy
Targeted therapy + chemotherapy
Dual targeted agent combinations
Sequential targeted therapies
Emerging developments include:
🔹 Fourth-generation TKIs for resistant mutations
🔹 Bispecific antibodies targeting multiple pathways
🔹 PROTAC degraders to eliminate target proteins
🔹 Liquid biopsy for real-time monitoring
Key considerations:
Tumor molecular profiling results
Previous treatment history
Overall health status
Mutation-specific clinical trials
Targeted therapy has transformed outcomes for many cancer types, with over 100 FDA-approved targeted drugs now available. Consult your oncologist to determine if your cancer has actionable targets for these precision treatments.
💡 Early molecular testing maximizes treatment options – ask about comprehensive genomic profiling at diagnosis.